Some memories last forever.
I was a little guy in the 1940s and early ‘50s. I remember those times well. And, I think about them every Christmas.
My family never had any extra money. We did o.k., but there wasn’t a lot to go around.
Do you remember when your local bank had a Christmas Club? It was a way to let the bank use your funds while it applied a semblance of discipline all year to your Christmas savings. My parents walked into their bank every week and deposited three or four dollars into their Christmas Club account so they would have enough money to buy gifts when the holidays rolled around again. Many families did the same thing.
That account helped them buy me a fat tire Schwinn bike, followed in another year with a bell to warn others I was approaching and a handlebar basket where I could store stuff like a baseball glove. I put a lot of miles on that bike.
Another year, I received hockey skates. I was a terrible skater. But, that didn’t stop me. I used those skates on the frozen swimming pool of a well-to-do farmer who lived nearby. That was a gathering place for neighborhood kids. I can still remember the sound of cracking ice and the cold winter wind that always seemed to be blowing at us.
Perhaps most memorable of all was the Christmas I came downstairs to find an electric train circling our tree. It was 1948. Over the next several years Santa added more track, a train station, some scenery, switches, a better transformer and various other extras. I loved that train and played with it for several years.
A bike. Hockey skates. An electric train. Kid stuff, yes. But, adults don’t forget those special gifts. And, neither do I forget my parents and their weekly pilgrimages to the bank to deposit into their Christmas Club account.
We have a new seasonal sign in our kitchen that says, When you stop believing in Santa, you get underwear. Fair enough.
Christmas is for kids of all ages. And, truth be known, we are still all kids. None of whom want to get underwear for Christmas.
But, the magic of Christmas isn’t in gifts like bikes, skates, trains, or even underwear.
The true magic of Christmas is the memories that are made.
DY: In Just a Few Words is a blog that comes out when something needs to be said or every Tuesday - whichever comes first. Davis Young is a communications professional who adds 50+ years of experience and perspective to issues of the day. His emphasis in DY: In Just a Few Words will be humor (a touch of sarcasm here, a pinch of facetiousness there...). Once in a while, he will touch on something a bit more serious - but hopefully not too deep or depressing.
This blog is a product of DY Author & Speaker LLC. Feel free to quote content with attribution. Respond. Agree. Disagree. Share the content with your friends. Heck - even invite him as a speaker for your group! Enjoy!